Tea
by Coffee Detective
Summary: "All's fair in love and war." It was horrible truth, a slap in reality. Life was messed up and that's a fact. AU


**Disclaimer**: I don't Pandora Hearts

**A/N**: This is just another story I wrote while working on **Darkness's** sequel, **In Pitch Black**, which is coming along quite nicely. This story is a little angst-y, well, on Oz's part…I decided to rate it **M**, since there's not exactly a lot of strong citrus in tea…so, **M **it is…Did you get the pun? Ah…you probably didn't… Well, have fun. Another thing, Oz and Gil are the same age (18) and Alice is a year and so-so months behind them (16 going on 17).

**Tea**

By Coffee Detective

It was around the afternoon when he took it all in.

He was having mint tea that day, when the clock struck twelve p.m.

It was a warm, summer day. The sunlight showered on him through the glass window, making his hair appear gold and eyes a vivid green. People his age would have liked to go out in the sun and do some sort of rigorous activity. But, he chose to stay inside with his book, alone in the library. He wasn't really reading his book, but rather staring out the window blankly, nothing gliding around in his thoughts. That is until a bird cawed outside the window.

Startled out of his thoughts, he caught sight of the raven.

It had black feathers and was quite large for its size. It seemed old, by the way its shoulders drooped and feathers dropped a bit here and there. It was still magnificent, despite its ancient look. Oz casually sipped his tea, but promptly spat it out back into his cup. It had gotten too cold and felt thick on his tongue. Or was it just the_ feeling_ slowly settling in his stomach?

He didn't know. Nowadays, Oz never really knew what to expect until the very last second, literally. Like how he didn't expect the raven to suddenly swoop down on an unsuspecting rabbit with its claws only to put it out of harm's way with the cleverly disguised fox around. How intriguing.

It almost disgusted him, reminding him of past events, ones that turned around and around until it wasn't him or the room spinning, but rather the universe. Or perhaps it was just him spinning around, the one left out of the still loop. Another sickening thought. Oz didn't like the feeling of _being alone_ or _left out._

Those past events had been unpredictable, unforeseeable, out of mind. It had left him shocked, surprised, angry, hateful, and even more startling, just sad. Oz grunted and opened the window, where he dumped his cold and heavy tasting mint tea into the bushes. Voices from below sounded out in indignation; Oz had been on the second floor of his dormitory.

Apparently, a couple was caught in the bushes.

Oz smiled in irony, reminding him what began over eight months ago. It was just all too simple.

xXx Eight months ago xXx

Oz and Gil had always sat beside each during clubs.

That included the anime club, Mathletes, the book club, agriculture club, and the list could go on and they took place every day, but not on the same days, goodness no (a mess it would be).

It wasn't a rule. It was a fact; and it remained as they were always good friends and close since age seven. They were best friends and _nothing _could change that. They even shared a dormitory room together and shared many of the same classes.

That is until Gilbert was absent.

It was innocent enough. Gilbert had caught the flu and would have to be several weeks as the nurse had told Oz.

"I'm afraid ole Gilbert will have to stay away from school for quite a long while." The kindly old nurse had told Oz. "He's just too sick to do anything. And he'll get others sick as well!"

Oz had nodded disappointedly that day, not realizing the events of the next day. He then bid Gilbert goodbye in the infirmary, the place where he would be staying the rest of his days until he got better.

XXXXXX

It was extremely awkward.

The day had been stressful enough. Being without Gil had left Oz _alone _and_ without a partner_. But, that was alright. Oz was a well-liked and popular student, so it wasn't particularly hard to find someone to work with during class. It just bothered him a little that he wasn't all that familiar with anyone, even if everyone liked him and treated him kindly.

But, clubs were a whole matter altogether.

It wasn't simple. Clubs were different from regular schooling. There were no barriers, no social classing, or hateful words said unless playful teasing. There was none of that. Clubs were the fresh beginning and you had the freedom of speech and self-expression. Nobody could touch or judge you or stop you. Clubs were another word for freedom and everything was limitless.

Unless the teacher caught you speaking about porn, of course. Porn was prohibited no matter what the cause, but besides that, everything else is free reign.

This was the problem for, or rather '_with_', Oz. In clubs, everyone was meant to associate with others, no exception. Sure, he was well-liked (goodness, the term is being overused), but without Gil (he wasn't particularly _nothing_), he felt like an _outsider_ compared to the people around him.

So, in anime club, Oz casually sipped his can of black tea while feeling quite alone.

That is until a person had walked up to him.

She was petite. No, seriously, she extremely tiny, well, compared to other students in the room. It was unrealistic a girl her size would even be in this academy. Oz had stared at her for a moment, almost curious as to why a grade school student was here. Then, he took another look at her face. It was round, definitely, but it had high, befitting cheekbones that curved down to petal pink lips. A pinched, elegant nose followed up over the mouth, and on either side of the nose were two big, often arrogant looking (he could tell) purplish-blue eyes.

She was cute; he thought as he stared back for what seemed a very short second.

The girl before him gave an irritated look and scratched her head and looked at him peculiarly. She furrowed her brows. "Aren't you going to join in?" She asked, kicking his ankle.

Oz startled by the sudden attack, jumped and spilled his tea over his shirt and head while hissing in pain from the kick. Feeling defensive of himself, he retorted "Aren't you a little short to be in this school?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at him and replied, "I'll have you know that I'm about to turn 17!" Oz looked at her surprised. "Aha! Don't make assumptions!" She suddenly turned around and faced left and called out, "Elliot, you owe me ten shillings! I won you this time around!" She pumped a fist in the air, rejoicing as a groan sounded out, and turned back to Oz. Finally, she realized the mess he was in.

"Ha…Oops…That's a big stain there…" She trailed off, looking him up and down. "Come on, I'll take you to the bathroom!" She resolved and took his wrist before he could protest. "Clown, I'm taking him to the bathroom!" She yelled supposedly at the teacher who sat in his chair eating candy. He waved his hand.

Dragging him to the boys' bathroom (to his relief), the girl took wet towels and wiped them up and down his shirt. It was silent between the two as she cleaned his shirt.

Breaking the silence, she spoke before he could open his mouth. "Where's that other boy?"

"What? You mean Gil?" Oz asked before she nodded. "Ah…he caught the flu and won't be back after a few weeks…"

"Hmm…if his name's Gil, then what's your name?" She asked, still wiping his uniform.

"Uh…Oz…" He trailed. He felt uncertain around this girl, who seemed to have _mood swings_ every few moments.

"Really? Interesting…My name's Alice." She said while pulling herself away from him. "There! You're all clean!" 'Alice' claimed as she began to expect him all round. "Except…" She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his temple- -

And _sucked_.

Oz literally gurgled in protest and embarrassment and pulled away, touching his head protectively. "W-what the hell…?"

Alice ignored his indignation and pressed her fingers to her mouth and said, "You've got good taste in tea. However, I have to say, bubble tea tastes _much _better." Her eyes shifted to her pocket. Shuffling a little, she retrieved a pocket watch from within it. Alice flipped it open, and a small tune played out as she checked the time. "Hrn…. 'Club's about to end…We'd better get going."

Once again, Alice pulled the much astonished Oz away from the boys' bathroom, ignoring the suspicious stares from other students in other clubs. Somehow, he didn't mind so much.

XXXXXX

Apparently, Alice was in all of his classes, despite the age difference of one year.

She seemed to be quite smart as well. She was also in several of the other clubs, too, another shocking revelation. Before, she seemed like a tiny smudge in his life, but now she seemed to be the big dot in the corner in which one couldn't seem to rid. It wasn't as if she was a _bad thing_ though.

If Oz wasn't mistaken, he would've grasped onto the fact that he and Alice were becoming fast friends. Nowadays, they would partner up for required couple projects and he was inserted into her group of friends. She had a small group of friends, despite being quite friendly with a large quantity of other people. Elliot Nightray, a rather pessimistic seventeen year-old who vastly enjoyed the book series 'Holy Knight' like Oz did and was Gilbert's (though, not by blood)younger brother (a _queer connection_ between Alice and Elliot, it was). Then, there was Leo, quiet and sarcastic close friend of Elliot's. And lastly, there was Sharon, a soft spoken, but fiery young woman.

Oz never replaced Gilbert though.

Oz visited him every day during lunchtime. With each passing day, Gilbert seemed to become better as he listened to Oz's tale of misadventures with Alice and her group. They weren't exactly misadventures, Oz once said, but rather, just mischievous. Some included hiding Mr. Break's candy or 'misplacing' Mr. Lunette's notebook or glasses. Other times, it just involved pushing away a bully from a defenseless student.

"This 'Alice' truly seems _interesting_, Oz." Gil pondered one day as he ate his food in his bed in the infirmary.

"Yeah, it's weird how she knows your younger brother, Elliot." Oz stated, while sipping his cup of milk tea. The tea was cold, just the way he liked it, and had a musky tang to it.

Gil merely hummed in and they ate the rest of their lunch in silence. It was bright out that day. Even in London, there was the occasional sound of a cicada buzzing somewhere in a nearby tree. The sun seemed to be scorching the ground with its glare and animals could be heard from outside trying to find shelter from the hot weather. When Oz finished his tea, the leftover grinds were the shape of a _cabbage_.

"You know…" Gil started, "I'd like to _meet_ this 'Alice'."

Suddenly, Oz spat out his tea, spraying the white sheets on Gil, who jumped in fright. Oz began coughing, patting his chest while Gil sputtered unknowingly. "Oz! A-are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine, Gil. Don't worry about me…" Oz trailed, wiping his mouth. Pretending to look at an imaginary watch on his hand, Oz feigned surprised. "Gosh, I think lunchtime is about to be over! I really have to go; the teacher's expecting me!" And Oz ran off, leaving Gilbert in the infirmary.

XXXXXX

Gilbert.

Alice.

Gilbert. Alice.

Alice. Gilbert

They meeting each other were unforeseeable. Oz just couldn't see that happening. He couldn't let them meet each other. He shouldn't. He _wouldn't. _Everything in between would be broken, and he was stuck in that deep trench called 'between'. He built up everything so perfectly, he was afraid something would be broken between them all, and something would be _lost_. Just didn't know _what_ then.

It wasn't fair. Gilbert was _his _friend, not Alice's. Alice was _his _friend, not Gilbert's. He wouldn't them meet. They would be taken away from me, Oz thought as he locked the door behind himself in the dormitory.

It was his and Gilbert's room. The room was a hazel-blue, with beds on left and right before a window. The same window was large and big and jutted out into the school garden. In its bit of area, it held a pair of matching ebony computer sets on two cedar desks. On the left of the two cedar desks sat a slowly melting and evaporating cup of bubble tea. In it, he could see the tea 'pearls' swimming around at the bottom of the concoction.

His eyes hardened upon gazing the drink.

Earlier this morning he had gotten it while on a stroll with Alice to the morning classes. She had seen bubble tea as her favorite tea, finding the tea 'pearls' delightful. Bubble tea had a bittersweet taste to it, but had a strong aftertaste that made the drinker want more. It was served cold with ice and, of course, with the tea 'pearls'.

Lately, he and Alice had been walking together to school for the two weeks Gilbert has been out. It was nothing _harmful_, anything but that. They'd shared personal feelings and laughs on their morning strolls with the others of her group following on some days. Oz felt _close _to her, like he felt with Gilbert, a bosom friend.

He was _smitten_ with Alice.

He fancied her. Her personality, her looks, her actions- -_everything._ He realized this after the twelfth day when they were sipping green tea under the large willow tree on a hot day after gym. She was different from all the other girls, ones he slept with, flirted with, and all else. A reason why he wouldn't have it if she met Gil.

She was also a virgin, Alice had confessed on that same day.

It was after having a conversation of his love - - no - -sex life. And when asked about hers after he admitted being somewhat of a man whore - - she laughed so prettily - -she confessed to never having sex before. It was endearing to him. A girl with her looks; _unbelievable_.

Another purpose to delay the meeting between them.

Oz knew Gilbert. His friend always fell for the _other worldly_ girls. And _that described _Alice. But, if Alice met Gilbert, their friendship could be ruined. Something he held dear, his friendship with Gilbert. They were _best _friends and always _have_ been. She would ruin it between them; years of being together.

He wouldn't let them meet.

Never. It was unacceptable.

Unacceptable.

XXXXXX

Gilbert was well. He could finally move back into the dormitory with Oz.

Oz had understood this for a while. He knew that. And he was glad to have his best friend back. He was very glad. But, was wrecked with anxiety as well. Oz would let them meet; let them get to be _acquaintances_. But other than that, there would be no further meeting.

So casually, Oz promised to Alice earlier that day for her to officially meet with Gilbert tomorrow. And he promised the same thing to Gilbert vice versa that night in the dorm room.

"Hey Gil, would you mind meeting Alice tomorrow?" Oz inquired. Gilbert looked back at him from the computer, finishing his makeup work.

"Really? Then I finally get to meet this 'Alice', then. We'll see if she's real or not." He teased. Oz threw his slipper at him.

"She's _real_, alright, Gil. _Seeing is believing_." Oz persisted.

Seeing really _is_ to believe.

XXXXXX

They disliked each other.

Wrong.

They _hated _each other.

Oz couldn't be any happier. It was so hard to conceal his smile the moment they met. It was better than anything he could hope for.

Alice and Gil had met each other. At the first moment, it was mutual dislike, but Alice, being as she was, questioned his hair, and it went all downhill. Sure the group hung out together all the time, with Oz and Gilbert included, but it delighted Oz to see them glare at each other every other moment. Often, they would get into arguments about the silliest of things.

"That was the last bendy straw!"

"Ha. Take that seaweed head."

"Stupid rabbit." How Gilbert came to call Alice this, Oz didn't know, nor did he care. It was just a happy thing for him to know that they weren't getting along.

They often bickered every day. Something would start, one of them would go on offense and the other would too. It happened before classes, during classes, between classes, and after classes. Also, during clubs, too. Mr. Break, the teacher who supervised all of the clubs, would watch in amusement as they yelled come backs to each other while eating some sort of candy.

For now, Oz was in peace.

_That is, for now._

XXXXXX

It was during one afternoon, when Oz was walking to the club room alone. The teacher had held him back for some position in the student council and Oz had told the others to go on without him. He hadn't expected such an offer and had gladly taken it.

So walking back, Oz pondered what Gil and Alice would be fighting about in the club room this time around. Today, it was only _them three_. Sharon was out on vacation and Leo was staying with Elliot, who was sick. So there was nothing to stop the flow of the argument between Gil and Alice. It was often Sharon who banged both on the head with her heavy fan. She was an admirable young woman to say.

Today, the Agriculture and Farming club was held. They would be working in the greenhouse.

Upon seeing the greenhouse, Oz could hear voices. _Alice and Gil._

They almost sounded breathless and tired. He walked faster, scared. _Scared of something._

When reaching the door, he pressed his ear to it, trying to listen in; find _evidence. _

"Well, he's _my_ friend, too!" A spirited voice rang out from the greenhouse. It was Alice. It seemed as though they'd been fighting for quite some while, from the sound of their voices.

"Oh yeah? How _fucking_ long?" Another voice countered; angry and overused. This time around, it was Gil. Indignation seemed to be in his voice, as though _accusing_.

Oz could tell it was _himself_ that they were shouting about. As the argument went on, he crept around the house, looking for a window for insight on the quarrel. Upon spotting one, crept beside it, gaining perfect view of what was going on.

Alice stood shorter than Gil by almost head and a half. Her eyes shown slightly with fury and her chest heaved up and down from her latest statement. Both had red cheeks and seemed unusually _tired_, yet the argument held its flow, and they glared at one another.

Oz slid away back from the window and to the door, trying to come into the scene as though he had seen nothing. He twisted the door knob and with a cheery face, exclaimed, "Hey guys! What're you doing?"

The two before him became startled and gave the other one last glare.

All is well, Oz believed.

XXXXXX

It was another day for clubs.

Oz couldn't attend with the others no matter how much he wanted too.

The new position he had accepted on the Student Council, didn't leave him much free time. Being president was hard, but he hadn't thought it would be _that _hard. Except for Tuesdays and Fridays, Oz was always in the Student Council room, working on school events, petitions, and student rights.

It had cut off _precious_ time with Alice and Gil.

But, he had gotten off of the Council early today, luckily. He would be able to catch the last few minutes of art club. Today, most of the students should be outside in the courtyard, painting the walls with the school with its mascot, a jack rabbit.

On the way, Oz drank from a can of chamomile tea while running. He gulped all its contents at once upon seeing the art room, the area where the art students would go in and out of to retrieve paint. Apparently, all the students had grabbed all they needed and _should_ all be outside.

In a nearby trash can, Oz threw his can away. Wiping his mouth, his hand closed over the door knob; he wanted to set down his messenger bag, which grew heavier on his shoulders every second. Perhaps it was _something else_ that weighed heavily on his shoulders at that moment; he didn't care. He knew that besides dancing, art was a favorite subject of Alice's and one she excelled at.

Loved it because of its freedom, she had said.

Oz smiled and laughed silently to himself, wondering how she was doing on the courtyard project. He shook his head, when he realized something.

The art room door was slightly ajar.

The only reason why it should be open is if someone or something was in there, but everyone was outside. Oz, curious, peeked in through the crack.

What he saw sickened him the most. He wanted to throw up, vomit blood all over the floor, claw at the wall; he wanted- -no- -he needed to do something. He shouldn't be watching this, shouldn't be seeing this- -God, no! How could something like this happen? He planned it all so well- -

"_Gil_…" A breathy voice cried out. The sound of flesh against flesh, almost delicious to the human ear. Two bodies half naked- -in between her legs- -NO- -

His eyes widened more, knowing that this really was reality, and he was not being deceived. This was happening, right now, right here, at this very moment. He couldn't bare it- -horrible, wretched- -no- -No- -NO- -NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO - -

"_Oh_…" A grunt broke out; a climax, the call of the other's name- -

NO!

Oz stumbled away from the door, running, running as though something was trying to capture him. Bile filled his throat and he rushed to the bathroom, tripping twice on the way to the toilet. He let it all out and stayed there for several moments, trying to catch his breath and recollect what had happened.

Then, he cried bitterly.

Sobering up after an hour, he set off, his eyes clouded and something else in mind.

Seeing really _is_ to believe.

XXXXXX

Secret glances.

Almost nonexistent touches.

Unseen messages.

They're clever, Oz thought, as he watched them carefully. This had been going on for quite a bit. He realized that the greenhouse scene had merely been an act of envy on Gil's part. Oz had no idea how long this had been going on, but watching them closely; he could see all of these signs.

There had been this one day, a hot, summer day (the cicadas were louder than ever), when he had been walking back to the dorm from the café. It was a free day the students had; it was too hot to do anything today and the school campus's air conditioning system had broken down. Oz felt hot and sticky, so he decided to make for the dorm, where the conditioning system could work at least.

The boys' dorm was mainly empty. Some boys had escaped to go to the pool. Others had heard that the air conditioning in the girls' dorms had broken and had made to go see if there was any particular skin showing there. Oz had scoffed at this, and walked away, from the other boys when they asked. But, he wasn't immune to their whispers.

"_He's too caught up on that Alice chick."_

"_Yeah…Jeez…And he's like, a major player, too!"_

"_You know, I've heard some stuff about that Alice. I heard she came from a messed up family. Had sister too, but had mental problems. And so did her mum, before she died. Her father left before she was born."_

"_Not only that, that chick was locked up in some place by her uncle. Weird, huh? I bet she's knocked up in the head, too."_

"_I bet that too."_

Simply, Oz had ignored his anger. His shoulders had stiffened as he walked away from their conversation in the bushes.

As Oz climbed up the stairs, he bumped into a tiny figure. It was Alice. Suddenly surprised, he stumbled down the few steps he had climbed.

"Oh! Oz!" Alice cried, and she jumped down the rest of the stairs, to meet him in his fallen _state. _

"I didn't see you there, Alice." Oz grunted, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"Heh…Sorry about that…" Alice murmured, looking off to the side.

Oz scratched his head and looked at her, and then he realized her state of clothing. A striped tank top adorned her torso and white shorts, just ending before half of her thighs. He looked away suddenly, red crawling up his throat. "Never mind. What brings you here?"

Alice looked at him surprised. "Ah…I wouldn't have time to see you and Gil later, so I wanted to tell you guys, but found you weren't up there. I left some pastries though." She scratched her arm, held out her hand for Oz to use to anchor himself upwards.

"Gil's up there?"

Alice looked away and outside. "Yeah, he's up there, working on homework."

Oz nodded, and soon, after a few words, they parted from each other. It was then he noticed something else about her visage. Her hair was mussed, and at first unnoticeable, her cheeks were bright red and her eyes shown with heavy emotion. At first, he had believed it to be the summer heat just getting to her, but upon realization, Oz ran up the stairs in hurry.

_No way…They couldn't have…No!_

He burst through the dorm room, his chest heaving pants out. Gilbert looked at him surprised, having turned away from his homework. The windows were opened, but Oz could smell _it_. It was a smell he knew well, as it was emitted whenever he performed the act.

Sex.

The windows were opened from where Gil worked. He knew; he _knew_, that they did it, and that they did on his best friend's bed. The blankets were slightly rumpled and Gil seemed to be, too. It sickened him to no end, to know that they did in this room, only moments ago.

He could also tell why the windows were opened. _To get rid of evidence._

"Oz?" Gil interrupted, snapping Oz out of his mind. Oz looked at him with apathy.

"I'm fine, Gil, I just bumped into Alice a few moments ago. Gil nodded and turned back to his homework.

_I'm just fine._

XXXXXX

He caught them again.

It was in the Mathletes' club room. The club had already ended, but Gil and Alice had chosen to stay behind and clean up. Oz had just gotten out of the Student Council room when he saw them again. They were there, near a desk by the window. Alice held a broom in one hand and in the other, Gil's face.

They were only kissing. Sweet and gentle, nothing _harmless. _

But, not to Oz.

He couldn't take it anymore. His hand clenched the door knob and broke through the door. And they saw him as he saw them. Oh, the looks on their faces! It almost made him sorry for barging in on their moment together. _Almost. _Oz feigned surprised and acted as though shocked. Then, he ran away, hearing their voices calling him, wanting to explain.

He didn't care.

Didn't give a damn.

A fucking damn.

XXXXXX

The three hadn't talked in weeks. There was too much tension in the air. When questioned by others and friends, they say - -

"Nothing's wrong. Sometimes, people just need space."

And that was all. Their replies would often leave the questioner confused, irritated and angry, and just plain worried. Sure, Alice and Gil still fought, but it still seemed so quiet around them. Their little bursts of arguments were what brightened the room a little, but at the end, everything became much darker and quiet.

Oz still didn't care as he drank Chai tea from his can in the café.

Nobody was there, except for the people who worked in this tiny area. Everybody else was busy preparing for the upcoming festival. It was a favorite festival as it was mainly a time for confessions and merriment. Oz could care less about such a trifle, but since everyone wanted it to happen, he had let it pass in Student Council. He knew that _they _would go.

Alice and Gil.

He still felt the same even after that day, when he acted as though he had been clueless to their secret rendezvous. Oz sipped from his can of tea once more and flipped through the pages of his of his text book, _Plant Life_ for horticulture class. He barely glanced at pages, but then he suddenly stopped.

_Jimson Weed (also known as Thorn Apple) __**Datura Stramonium**_

_A common poisonous plant. Jimson Weed has several other names and grows in warm or moderate regions all over the world. It is part of the nightshade family, a group of deadly plants. It is also a weed, hence Jimson 'Weed'. The Jimson Weed grows up between three and five feet tall and is an annual plant. The leaves are soft, toothed, and unevenly undulate and the flowers, white to creamy or a purple and are trumpet-shaped, have a fragrance and grow as long as 2.5 to 3.5 inches long. All parts of this plant, if consumed, are poisonous. Effects include abnormal thirst, distorted sight, delirium, incoherence, and coma. Has been proved fatal. _

Oz stared at its picture for a long while, his mind working slowly, then eagerly. If he could not find such a plant, then there was always another key. His eyes slid over to his tea. This would be his savior, his cantarella. He knew others would be making one, why not he?

It was time for a confession.

XXXXXX

"Do you hate me?"

"No, not really. I don't blame you exactly."

It was the time of the festival. Everyone was outside, enjoying good time of merriment making. In fifteen minutes, the fireworks would start. Everybody was scrambling to find the one they so desperately cared about so they could confess. For Oz it was more than enough time.

Right in front of him stood Alice. She was beautiful in her gown. Everyone dressed for the festival, even Oz, himself. Her dress slid downwards gracefully over her body and onto the floor; where it became a train; highlighting features of her petite body. It was ocean colors, and fitted well with her eyes. Her hair was down, a mixture of curls and braids and a single flower adorned her hair. Other flowers accentuated the ribbon around her neck and the one around her wrist.

A corsage of some sort from Gil. Oz mentally cringed.

It didn't change her looks, though. "You look wonderful tonight, Alice." Oz said, getting up to meet her position of where she stood. Pink kissed her cheeks and she looked away.

"I'm sorry that we kept it a secret from you." She said simply, her eyes avoiding his.

"I knew for a long while, Alice. I only pretended to run away." Alice turned her head sharply and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"W-what…I-I…" She seemed so vulnerable in her position, like a rabbit in _unknown grounds_. He _almost _regretted what he was about to do. He hushed her.

"Sh…It's alright, Alice. I could've said something, but I decided not to. As an apology, just sit with me here and share a drink with me." He gestured towards the two cups that sat on a table by the windows. Alice smiled at him despite his confession.

They weren't outside, but rather inside the school campus. They were in the art room, ironically, where Oz had first found Alice and Gil. Everyone else was outside. In five minutes, the fireworks would set off. She sat across from him, the bright glow of the festival reflecting her face, giving her an otherworldly glow. In front of them sat two cups of tea. It _was just_ simple, regular tea.

Or so _she thought._

He lifted his cup, signaling for Alice to lift up hers. He smiled, his bangs shielding his eyes. "To our friendship." She repeated his words and touched her cup to his. There were three minutes left until the fireworks.

He smiled as she took a sip of her tea. _Two minutes. _She drained it and sat it back down once Oz had drained his. _One minute. _ Suddenly, Alice clenched the table, her hand holding her head.

"Oz…? What's g-going on? T-the tea- -it…" She stumbled, her body trembling with instant pain.

Oz looked at the teacup before him. "Perhaps I'll make another confession, too, Alice." He stared at her.

He left his seat and knocked away the two cups on the table to the floor. He smiled at Alice, who looked at him with innocence and fright. Oh, how he _loved_ her. How he _wanted _her. He wanted her so much, to saturate her in his scent, to trample her to a pulp- -_just everything_- -he wanted her and that was all.

XXXXXX

He remembered that night in the room.

He had forced her onto the table, where she fruitlessly tried to fight back at him. But, the poison was working on her; and she became a still, porcelain doll. He fucked her that night and after he was done, she ran away, tears marring her pretty face.

She was perfect in every way, and she didn't deserve what he did to her. As soon as Gil had found out, he'd slapped him and gone after her. Alice was still gone and so was Gil. Oz found sadness within himself, but found no reason to regret anything at all.

He was crazy. Alice was crazy and so was Gil. Everyone and everything around them were crazy. They were mad, and nothing could change that, not even innocence, nor love, and as they always say: "All's fair in love and war." It was horrible truth, a slap in reality. Life was messed up and that's a fact.

So as afternoon became night, Oz closed his book and stalked away from the window, where the raven and rabbit stayed in their place.

_Fin._

xXx Twisted Ending xXx (Don't read unless you like messed up stuff)

As Oz walked out of the library, he took a turn and slid down the stair railing, finding himself in the darkness of the basement. Nobody ever went down into the basement- -too dark and too scary. Oz had no such feeling towards this place. Only he, at the moment, held the key. Oz took a candle from a shelf and lit it with a dirty match for light.

He climbed further down a new set of stairs, almost reaching his destination.

Upon reaching it, he saw a gagged and bound silhouette.

"Hello, Alice love. Have you been waiting long?"

_End of Twisted Ending (Told j'ya that it was messed up.)_

A/N: Yeah….I hope it turned out okay…It ended up taking longer than I expected to. To the people who took time to read my other stories and review: I wish I could see your reviews to my stories so bad! I gave up looking at my story reviews for Lent, since I was getting _**PRETTY OBSESSIVE**_ about it…Oh well, goodbye lovies - -I'll see you all soon (And hopefully with **In Pitch Black**)!


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